In Sept. 2004, HBO aired a special entitled "The Curse of the Bambino," a riveting documentary that chronicled the tale of the constant failure of the Boston Red Sox to become World Series Champions. "The Curse" served as a prelude to the 2004 MLB postseason.
In between clips of Babe Ruth, Bucky Dent and, my personal favorite, Bill Buckner, the show's producers decided to pause periodically. They chose to show interview footage with both average Bostonians and die-hard celebrity Red Sox fans like Dennis Leary, Ben Affleck and that bald guy from the "The Shield."
During these clips, these longtime Sox fans sobbed about how much they hate the Yankees and how they expect to be disappointed every year, all while making outlandish promises of giving up their firstborn child or one of their "family jewels" if they could just see Boston bring home a championship.
Fast-forward to Opening Day 2005. The Red Sox are World Series Champions and ESPN 2 is airing a second such special, "The Offseason: Boston's Winter of Bliss." This time there are no flashbacks of an easy grounder rolling through Buckner's legs. Instead, we see footage of the heroic efforts of Manny Ramirez, David Ortiz, Curt Schilling and Pedro Martinez.
The same celebrities and the same average Joes from the HBO special are reflecting on what it was like to win and how it will forever change their lives, although, strangely, no one mentions anything about making good on those "family jewel" promises.
It seems, based on these two documentaries, that the Red Sox have broken the curse and are ready to begin a dynasty. If it's over, the floodgates must now be open for the Sox to win every year.
Right?
Why then, do both "Sports Illustrated" and "ESPN: The Magazine" have the Yankees ranked as the number one team in the American League East?
Easy, it all goes back to what my wrestling coach used to tell us after a big win.
"Act like you've been there before," he would say.
While the Red Sox were dancing in the streets, the Yankees were up to business as usual. During the offseason, New York went out and strengthened their pitching staff, with big names like Randy Johnson, Carl Pavano and Jaret Wright.
However Boston, apparently still drunk from the after-parties, lost Martinez to the New York Mets and replaced him with Matt Clement. Considering Clement was just 9-13 last season and is 69-75 in his career, I can't see how that improves their rotation.
You see, the Yankees have been there before; they are the greatest dynasty in sports. In fact, the word dynasty doesn't even do them justice. The Bulls of the Michael Jordan era were a dynasty. The Yankees have been inflicting Jordan-like dominance for nearly a century. The Bronx Bombers are, for lack of a better word, a superpower.
They're like Donald Trump minus the bad hairpiece. Sure, they go bankrupt now and again, but before you know it, they're back on top with a supermodel on each arm telling the Red Sox, "You're fired!"
Sure it stings Yankee fans a little that "The Curse" was broken, but that really doesn't change a thing.
The Yankees are champions and they always will be. They have a business-like poise that is unmatched. They go out, do the job, and win or lose, they act like champs. I know, Wade Boggs rode a police horse after the '96 Series but don't forget where he played most of his career.
When the Yanks are in the Series, you don't see celebrity fans like Billy Crystal offering to trade body parts for championships, he like every other Yankee fan, he has seen them win before and knows he'll see them win again.
That's what being a superpower is all about.
So enjoy your glory Sox fans, it was bound to happen eventually. Go crazy in the limelight. After all, history has proven that you may not get another opportunity for another 90 years or so.
